While it is not part of the work, making unsafe or dangerous deliveries is an unpleasant risk of being a truck driver. It is important to be prepared for harmful situations so you can react appropriately.
When delivering to a new site, drivers should enquire with the recipient about any potential safety concerns the region may have. Ask inquiries to learn as much as you can about the place.
Certain delivery locations are just unsafe. Risks to one’s safety may exist. Instead of learning after you arrive, find out AHEAD of time.
There is often no going back after you have rolled the truck and caravan into the region. Do not discover upon landing that you are the only man in the vicinity without a rifle.
The greatest time to visit a new place is when you are young. No time of day or night; if a location is found to be very high risk, phone your dispatcher and let him know.
Do not worry about declining to deliver in a dangerous area.
“We have never had an issue there before” is the customary phrase from the dispatcher when attempting to encourage a driver to travel into a high-risk zone to deliver or pick up cargo.
It is not shocking to learn that a delivery destination is in a high-risk region.
The dispatcher’s current task is conveying the goods from one location to another. They are not too concerned about motorist safety. The driver is responsible for it.
Do not depend on dispatch for your safety.
Not All the Answers Can Be Found in the Dispatch
1. Dispatchers sometimes state flat-out untrue things. If there have previously been issues in the neighborhood, they most likely will not mention them to you.
2. A driver’s life might be changed or lost with only one poor decision. The dispatcher will make it safely home from his duty. The same is likewise permitted for the driver.
In a High-Risk area? Steps to Take
Should you unluckily discover that you are already in a high-risk area:
- Inform your employer of your discoveries (satellite or cell phone).
- Be careful to lock the truck’s doors.
- Keep to the main highways.
- Have your phone close if you need to snap a picture or contact 911.
- Go on. If you can, keep the truck rolling.
- Keep your cool and your wits about you.
- If you have a GPS, set it up to direct you to the area’s and the highway’s shortest route out. To prevent getting lost in a sketchy neighborhood, leave the area using the same path you entered.
- Plan your journey thoroughly. That will be quite profitable. Before entering the location, at the very least, phone the recipient.
Drivers Are in Control of Their Own Safety
The professional driver must use common sense to decide what to do.
It is not worth it to make dangerous deliveries, put your safety in danger, and even put your life in danger for your livelihood as a truck driver. That has no bearing on the work.
Profit is the primary goal of trucking firms. Having a backup plan is a good idea in case anything goes wrong.
Regrettably, companies sometimes compromise the safety of their drivers to meet their financial targets.
While carriers may assert that safety is always their priority, this may not always be true. The final decision-maker for their safety is the driver.
The driver’s primary concern at the end of the day is making it home to his or her loved ones safely.
The business could feel bad if one of its drivers were wounded at work. But, the life of the driver, not theirs, will alter.
Ask the families of Michael Boeglin and Jason Rivenburgh, two truck drivers who perished due to being in the wrong location at the wrong time.
When the going gets tough, drivers must make the best decisions for their security and well-being, regardless of what anybody else thinks or wants. In the end, it can cost you your driving position.
Yet, there is no truck driving jobs that are worth a life.
FAQs
Does the trucking business conduct safety checks at all pick-up and delivery locations?
This is regrettably not the case. You should constantly consider your safety as a professional truck driver. Call your dispatch and describe the scenario if you doubt a specific place is dangerous. Do not let intimidation force you into a risky delivery.
Do all the places I use for deliveries have secure parking?
No. The truck driver is responsible for finding secure parking. Some clients will not agree to let delivery people park overnight on their property for the next day’s delivery.
Does it fall within the purview of the trucking firm to provide secure parking for its drivers?
No. It is the responsibility of each truck driver to look for safe parking, which may be quite difficult.
